Josh O’Reilly welcomed the chance to fight outside Canada for the first time as he prepares to face James Tennyson on Friday.
The pair will contest an eliminator for the WBA lightweight title on the Billy Joe Saunders vs. Martin Murray undercard, with the 29-year-old Canadian making the journey across the Atlantic.
O’Reilly is used to fighting in his home country, and he has had to get up to speed with his rival’s qualities, saying he has done his research.
“I’ve watched him for a while,” O’Reilly said ahead of the fight.
“I’ve paid attention to him, seen some of his older fights. He’s a good fighter to watch.
“He’s a strong kid, I might be a bigger guy than him but he’s got the power. We’ve both got to make 135.”
Having looked into Tennyson's previous fights, O’Reilly knows he cannot afford to come into the ring with anything less than top form, saying, “It’s got to be sharp and turned on.
“He really likes guys to sit in front of him, so you’ve got to keep him off balance, lots of lateral movement. Some do well but expend a lot of energy and he catches up with them. You have to mix it up, lateral movement and space.
“The plan is early to not get caught up in anything crazy and pick my shots to slow him down.
“There’s things you see, there’s a lot I can take away from all his fights. There’s a lot of things from the outside that might seem different when I’m in there.”
With Canada also experiencing its own serious second wave of coronavirus infections, O’Reilly is part of a pre-fight bubble aimed at minimising the chance of cases for fighters and their teams. However, O’Reilly is enjoying the change from the normal pre-match routine.
“I think it’s easier. The food here is amazing, they’re taking good care of us,” he said.
“Back home, there’s stuff to sell tickets, so it’s less stressful. You can focus on the fight and do training, focus on making the weight.
“I feel quite comfortable, it’s the easiest I’ve made weight for some time.”